Shields
Shields is a 2019 family comedy by D. Isaac Thomas. It is a stand-alone entry and the fortieth book in the D.I.T. Literary Universe, as well as the twelfth installment of Part Four: Truth Eternal. It was released on April 5, 2019. Synopsis Opening The book mainly focuses on a boy named Gerekrigkit, who usually goes by G-Kit. He begins to fear his braces will never come to fruit, in spite of consistently wearing rubber bands. He is even more afraid that he's destined to flunk out of school. His life is hard and everything about it seems to support this negative outlook. The only thing in life that genuinely brings him happiness is having a girlfriend, the sweet yet unstable Julie; he has been dating her for two years. But there is something far greater than himself lurking in the shadows, and yet he knows better than to meddle in it. Eventually, he rescues a small child named Brian Lindermann, and the two become good friends. G-Kit also runs into Larry the Debaser, whom he already knows, and invites him to join them, but Larry refuses, claiming he is busy. The journey begins G-Kit brings Brian closer and closer to redemption, so they can journey to Khustandil, a paradise, together that no one else is willing to risk going to. To reach Khustandil, they have to travel across a strong and extremely mutated current. Many had warned them not to go, but G-Kit and Lidermann agree the current probably knows where it's taking them. After a day of walking and hiking, Brian nearly trips against a crevice against a boulder and G-Kit agrees with him that they should camp there for the night. In the middle of the night, Tom wakes them. G-Kit is angry, so Tom defends them by explaining in detail what he has been doing this whole time. G-Kit listens with rapt attention, his patience contradicting Brian's lack thereof, and hugs him asking what he did to deserve a little brother. The unlikely trio becomes good friends, each leaping to the aid of the other two. G-Kit helps lift people up particularly steep slopes, Brian tackles wild beasts and even tames a couple of them, and Tom comes up with clever ideas to escape sticky situations. The death of Tom As they reach the end of their journey, Brian realizes just how much Tom means to him. Upon arriving, they are ambushed by Larry the Debaser, who reveals his true plans to them. He directs the Ferity Engine upon them. The Ferity Engine fires a missile at them, but Tom leaps in front of it, sacrificing himself in the process, and G-Kit falls unconscious. Ending When Brian recovers, he tells G-Kit what happened to his brother and that he avenged Larry, but he let him go. He says Larry didn't return the favor and strangled him, but Brian defended himself and Larry lost his footing and fell off a cliff. G-Kit and Brian are greeted by the Gatekeeper who guards Khustandil from the outside world. G-Kit rejoices, saying that the journey was worth it, even if Tom's death wasn't, but Brian isn't allowed to enter because of his transgressions. G-Kit begs her to change her mind and says Brian has come such a long way and as Brian hugs him, he points out how devoted he is to him. The Gatekeeper refuses to let him in and tells him it is time to do what is necessary, while Brian begs him to go without him promising he'll be fine. G-Kit tells her he cannot leave Brian to rot, and Brian points out that they have a long journey ahead, which G-Kit agrees with. However, on their way out, the Gatekeeper calls after them and says she has never seen such loyalty between two friends. She declares that they are free to enter, and upon entering they learn that there is no form of government as everyone there only entered by being a courageous and tender-hearted soul. The Gatekeeper shows them around and says they are to live in the land of their dreams forever. Three days later, Gerekrigkit and Brian are wondering what to do next while they eat lunch together. They are surprised to meet Petunia, the girl Larry had once intended to marry. In spite of her reluctance to mention Larry at all, G-Kit promises he will tell her what happened to Larry if she tells them the truth about his failure. Petunia gives them a less biased account of her tragedy, and Gerekrigkit realizes that he was happier in his current situation and that he does not want to run away from his problems and try to alter his fate by spending an eternity in Khustandil, citing that he's becoming just like Larry the Debaser. He has a tearful goodbye with Brian Lindermann and proceeds to the gate, deciding he belongs with Julie after all. Post-Script Eventually, two government ambassadors named Marchant and Littleton entrust the Cuffs of Energy to Stacey Huddleston. However, once they leave, we learn that Huddleston is the Dark Flame in disguise, and he is rather literally one step away from victory against the S.M.S.B.. Development D. Isaac Thomas said he had been planning something like this since early 2017, but "never truly got to work until summer of 2018". Rating Shields is confirmed to be rated PG (parental guidance suggested) for "mild language and some intense images". Trivia *''Shields'' is the first D.I.T. book not to have someone screaming. Strangely, Tom doesn't scream when he leaps in front of the Ferity Engine's missile. *The bedroom shared by G-Kit and Tom is shown in his infancy memories. In another flashback, their bedroom is redesigned and there is only one bed in there, making it unclear if G-Kit or Tom have a different room now. References Category:Shields Category:2019 books Category:Part Four: Truth Eternal books Category:D.I.T. books Category:PG-rated books Category:Books